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DEMS IN DISARRAY OVER OBAMACARE – Jake Sherman and Burgess Everett report for the hometown paper: “Democrats can’t even agree whether Obamacare was the reason for their crushing loss in a Florida special election Tuesday. Now picture how their messaging plan for the health care law is shaping up for 2014. Republican lobbyist David Jolly’s victory over Democrat Alex Sink has many Democrats privately worried and publicly split about how to talk about Obamacare. A few Democrats are advocating a drastic rhetorical shift to the left, by criticizing their own party for not going far enough when it passed the law in 2010. Other Democrats plan to sharply criticize the Affordable Care Act when running for re-election. Many plan to stick to the simple message that Obamacare is flawed and needs to be fixed —a tactic that plainly didn’t work for Sink.

-- “Taken together, the Democratic Party is heading into an already tough election year divided — instead of united — on the very issue Republicans plan to make central to their campaigns.” http://politi.co/1heMvDf

THE OTHER BIG STORY IN FLORIDA -- “Curt Clawson touts business acumen, but record is marred,” By Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster and Matt Dixon in the Naples Daily News: “It was 8:30 p.m., just days before Halloween 2003, when a fiery blast rocked the Hayes Lemmerz plant in a small Indiana town. Shawn Boone, a maintenance worker, was among those caught in the aluminum dust explosion and fire. He was blinded and burned on 90 percent of his body. ‘They did not call us to let us know what happened, or let us know where Shawn was,’ said Tammy Miser, Boone’s sister. Within hours, the 33-year-old died — his last words, his sister recalled recently, were ‘I’m in a world of hurt.’

-- “The fatal blast occurred at a plant owned by a company run by now-Congressional candidate Curt Clawson, then-chief executive for the Michigan-based company Hayes Lemmerz, at one time the world’s largest supplier of wheels and brakes to automotive companies. The Huntington, Ind., plant had been cited for safety problems by Indiana state regulators only a year before Boone died. Following the explosion, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued six serious violations against the company, ranging from violating hazardous material standards to violating general standards. The fine: $42,000. … In a September 2005 report, the [U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board] said it found ‘events occurred through the history of the Huntington dry chip system that might have alerted Hayes to the potential for a dust explosion. However, Hayes management was not made aware of, and did not investigate those changes.’

-- “Boone’s death isn’t the only notable mark on the company’s business record under board chairman, CEO and president Clawson, a retired Bonita Springs Republican who wants to represent most of Lee County and part of Collier County in Congress. Clawson’s campaign touts his business resume as he runs for the seat vacated by Trey Radel, who resigned after pleading guilty to cocaine possession charges. He faces Lizbeth Benacquisto, Paige Kreegel and Michael Dreikorn in the April 22 special congressional primary. John Yob, a Clawson spokesman, said it would be dirty politics for other campaigns to try to ‘benefit from this tragedy … that shouldn’t be an issue in this campaign.’” http://bit.ly/1if0mMF

** Presented by RepealSGR.org: Congress has bipartisan/bicameral legislation to repeal the SGRand reform the Medicare physician payment system. This new system will be sustainable, fair and efficient, secure patient access, and encourage quality, affordable care. Republican and Democratic Leadership in Congress need to continue working together to develop bipartisan pay-fors. www.repealsgr.org

LAST NIGHT’S STORM caused the exterior lights of the Capitol to go dark for about half an hour, writes POLITICO’s Bob King. Story and slideshow:http://politi.co/1fytP3A

HISTORY OF ST. PADDY’S DAY LUNCH: On Friday, Speaker Boehner hosts President Obama, Vice President Biden, and Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Enda Kenny at his annual St. Patrick’s Day luncheon. Watch this new video to see rare photos of Ronald Reagan, Tip O’Neill and others at past events. @SpeakerBoehner will give a rare inside look at Friday’s luncheon on Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #FriendsOfIreland. http://goo.gl/hRHBkE

DINNER WITH GATES – About 80 senators are expected to attend a dinner discussion at the Capitol tonight with Microsoft founder Bill Gates and the NYT’s David Brooks. The 6:45 p.m. dinner, according to an invitation obtained by Huddle, is sponsored by the No Labels Foundation, and one of that group’s honorary co-chairs, Sen. Joe Manchin, will make opening remarks. So what’s the No Labels-Microsoft connection? No Labels co-founder Nancy Jacobson is married to longtime pollster Mark Penn, executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Microsoft, said a source who will be attending the event.

SPOTTED: Political odd-couple Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) having dinner last night at Bistro Bis just off Capitol Hill. Sen. Joe Donnelly later strolled over with a big group to say hi. (h/ts: @ZStoller and @dsamuelsohn) Pic here:http://bit.ly/1qyM4dx

AT LEAST SIX DEAD, DOZENS INJURED IN HARLEM GAS EXPLOSION – Mark Santora writes for the New York Times: “The call to Consolidated Edison came at 9:13 a.m. on Wednesday: The smell of gas, detectable the night before, had strengthened around two buildings by 116th Street and Park Avenue in East Harlem. Less than 20 minutes later, the buildings were gone, leveled by a tremendous explosion whose tremors could be felt more than a mile away. The blast, which city officials said was touched off by a gas leak, killed at least six people and wounded at least two dozen more. Rescue workers continued to search the rubble well into the night, hoping to find the nine occupants of the buildings who were still missing late Wednesday.” http://nyti.ms/1fy9awG

-- REP. CHARLIE RANGEL (D-N.Y.), who represents Harlem, flew back from D.C. to assess the situation and meet with residents: “I could not possibly sleep in Washington knowing of the tragic loss of life and injuries caused by the shocking explosion that occurred in the heart of our District. … I have spoken to Gov. Cuomo and will work with him to secure assistance for the victims, families and small business owners. I thank Mayor de Blasio for his quick response to provide expedient assistance to the community. Together with the Governor, we will keep the President apprised of the situation as we follow up with the NTBS team's investigation.”

CIA-SENATE SPAT TAKES PARTISAN TURN – Manu Raju and John Bresnahan write for POLITICO: “A partisan brawl has erupted behind the scenes on the secretive Senate Intelligence Committee, with the two parties at a bitter impasse over the panel’s highly sensitive review of Bush-era interrogation techniques. Republicans say not only that the committee’s chairwoman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), has provided selective information to the public about allegedly improper CIA conduct, they are also pointing the finger at Sen. Mark Udall. The Colorado Democrat, Republicans say, shouldn’t have disclosed internal Senate proceedings over the CIA investigation — something that some Republicans privately say should warrant an Ethics Committee review. Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the ranking Republican on the committee, even suggested a special investigator should be appointed …

-- “Democrats counter that Republicans are now engaging in a partisan witch hunt aimed at hurting Udall politically and providing cover to the CIA and the George W. Bush administration’s handling of the controversial interrogation and detention program. Udall, who is in a tough reelection contest this year, denies the GOP accusation — something he reiterated privately to Republican senators and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). The partisan showdown has derailed the committee’s activities for the moment, Senate sources said. Classified briefings on Iran and Syria scheduled for Thursday have been postponed so panel members can continue their fight over the investigation.” http://politi.co/1fV8NgO

-- THE WHITE HOUSE got a head’s up about the CIA’s move against Senate staffers, the AP’s David Espo and Julie Pace report: “The CIA's director and top lawyer told White House attorneys in advance about their plans to file an official criminal complaint accusing Senate Intelligence Committee aides of improperly obtaining secret agency documents, the White House said Wednesday. Lawyers in the White House counsel's office did not approve the CIA's move to refer its complaint to the Justice Department or provide any advice to the agency, said presidential spokesman Jay Carney. ‘There was no comment, there was no weighing in, there was no judgment,’ Carney said, citing protocol not to interfere in the ongoing inquiries into the matter by the FBI and the CIA's inspector general. …

-- “Obama avoided commenting on his involvement in the dispute at the end of a meeting Wednesday with female Democratic lawmakers on women's economic issues. He added that ‘with respect to the issues that are going back and forth between the Senate committee and the CIA, (CIA Director) John Brennan has referred them to the appropriate authorities. And they are looking into it. And that's not something that is an appropriate role for me and the White House to weigh into at this point.’” http://bit.ly/1lZAffU

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MARCH 13, 2014, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of all the action on Capitol Hill. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don’t already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.

TODAY IN CONGRESS – The Senate meets at 9:30 a.m. and at 10:30 a.m. will resume consideration of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Reauthorization. Roll call votes are expected throughout the day. The House is in at 10 a.m. with first votes expected between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. and last votes between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. on the Faithful Execution of the Law Act and the Water Rights Protection Act.

AROUND THE HILL – Sen. Barbara Boxer speaks about the harmful health impacts of tar sands and Keystone XL Pipeline at 10 a.m. in Dirksen 406. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi holds her weekly press conference at 10:45 a.m. in HVC Studio A. Speaker John Boehner follows in the same location at 11:30 a.m. Reps. Bill Johnson and Danny Davis host a discussion on “Human Rights Violations in Sri Lanka: Past and Present,” at 3:30 p.m. in the CVC Auditorium. Sens. Mark Pryor and Roy Blunt meet with Bill Gates regarding agriculture research funding at 3:40 p.m. in Dirksen 257.

BI-PARTY-SAN MIXER – Reporters and Hill communicators are invited to meet the new board members of DCNet (Democratic Communicators Network) and RCA (Republican Communications Association) over a drink and some finger foods courtesy of iConstituent & Broadnet, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Tortilla Coast, 400 First St. SE. http://bit.ly/1gmXug2

DEAL ON UKRAINE PACKAGE ELUSIVE – Seung Min Kim and Burgess Everett report for POLITICO: “Congress is set to head home for recess Thursday with no agreement on how to aid Ukraine and punish Russia for its incursion into the Crimean peninsula. A key Senate panel on Wednesday approved legislation that would provide aid to Ukraine while leveling sanctions against officials responsible for undermining the nation’s sovereignty. The bill is more comprehensive than the House’s Ukraine bill — and the two chambers were nowhere near resolving the vast differences between their two bills as of Wednesday evening. The vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was 14-3. The legislation includes reforms to the International Monetary Fund requested by the Obama administration and Democrats, despite the objections from some Republicans. The legislation now goes to the full Senate for a vote, which hasn’t been scheduled yet.” http://politi.co/1hciKTx

-- SEN. JOHN McCAIN won’t have an aid and sanctions package in hand when he and seven other senators travel to Ukraine this week. The Arizona Republican told Huddle the CODEL will leave D.C. as soon as the last votes are held today. McCain said the three top Ukrainian leaders requested that the senators visit. “We’re going to show our support and solidarity, bring back our impressions to the rest of the Senate and we’ll be acting on further legislation,” McCain said in an interview on the Senate subway. Others joining the bipartisan CODEL include: Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I).

SARAH BLOOM RASKIN was confirmed by the Senate to be the Treasury Department’s No. 2 official and highest-ranking woman. She has served as a Federal Reserve governor. Bloomberg: http://bloom.bg/1lBULjD

FATTAH INFORMS HOUSE OF SUBPOENA -- Mark Fazlollah, Jonathan Tamari, and Jeremy Roebuck report for the Philadelphia Inquirer: “U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, who has been contending with a long-running federal investigation, told Congress this week that federal prosecutors in Philadelphia had subpoenaed ‘certain documents’ from his congressional offices. Following House rules that require such disclosure, the Philadelphia Democrat notified Speaker John A. Boehner of the subpoena in a letter dated Monday, saying that he believed some of the information prosecutors demanded was protected by congressional privilege and that he would fight to stop its release. ‘I intend to move to quash the subpoena to that extent,’ Fattah wrote in the letter, published in Tuesday's Congressional Record. He said he would ‘otherwise comply . . . to the extent that compliance with the subpoena is consistent with the precedents and privileges of the House.’” http://bit.ly/1ft3MpT

HOUSE-PASSED BILL MAKES IT EASIER TO SUE PRESIDENT – Donna Cassata writes for the AP: “Casting Barack Obama as a president run amok, the House voted on Wednesday for a bill that would expedite congressional lawsuits against the chief executive for failure to enforce federal laws. The vote was 233-181 in the Republican-led House as GOP lawmakers excoriated Obama for multiple changes to his 4-year-old health care law, steps he's taken to allow young immigrants to remain in the United States and the administration's resistance to defend the federal law banning gay marriage. Ignoring a White House veto threat, the GOP maintained that the bill was necessary as the president has selectively enforced the nation's laws.” http://abcn.ws/1qxi2a2

END OF CAPITOL HILL DIVE BARS? POUR HOUSE TO CLOSE – Tim Ebner writes for Washington City Paper: “The Pour House, a Capitol Hill bar which has been a second home of sorts for social sports leagues and game watching, will close on April 30. The decision to close came abruptly on Sunday, says bar manager Andre Priest, who's worked at the Pour House for the last nine years. … In the last few years, Capitol Hill’s dive bars have taken a hit, especially on Pennsylvania Ave. SE. A close neighbor, The Tune Inn, burned down in 2011 and was quickly rebuilt, thanks in part to community support. In the same year, Hawk ’n’ Dove, one of Capitol Hill’s longest running bars—open for 44 years—closed and eventually reopened under new ownership with renovations that erased any hints of its divey past. Last summer, 18th Amendment bit the dust.” http://bit.ly/1glm4On

-- The Washington Business Journal says the owners of Sonoma will open a new restaurant in the space. http://bit.ly/1lZx6MU

WEDNESDAY’S TRIVIA WINNER – Jim Casto was first to correctly answer that Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish was the Major League pitcher who was named after a president, Roman emperor and a city in Oklahoma. Several of you offered this creative guess: Hall of Fame pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander.

TODAY’S TRIVIA – Terry Haines has another baseball question for you: This former North Carolina congressman was raised in Mississippi but nicknamed after a town in Alabama where he was born. The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day’s Huddle. Email me at swong@politico.com.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says “Sign Up.” http://www.politico.com/huddle/

** Presented by RepealSGR.org: Bipartisan/bicameral legislation to repeal the failed Medicare cost control formula called the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), and reform the Medicare physician payment system, has been introduced. The bill would create a system that is sustainable, fair and efficient, secure patient access and encourage quality, affordable care. SGR threatens patient access with drastic Medicare provider cuts. Physicians face constant instability, demonstrated by the 23.7 percent cut to physician payments scheduled for April 1. Congress has spent over $154 billion – more than the cost of the legislation – on 16 short term patches in the last decade. These patches are the equivalent of paying the minimum on a credit card – it delays the inevitable, increases the total bill and is bad for the budget. Republican and Democratic Leadership need to continue working together to develop bipartisan pay-fors so the House and Senate can pass S.2000/H.R. 4015, by March 31. www.repealsgr.org